In the article "The War Against the Poor Instead of Programs to End Poverty" by Herbert J. Gans, Gans states that the quality of life in America will severely diminish among all classes of people if we do not acknowledge the causes of poverty and wholeheartedly attempt to fix them. Gans states that there are many causes for the state of Americas poor. He begins by outlining the shortage of jobs by turning "unskilled and semiskilled" workers into surplus labor by outsourcing most of those jobs overseas by private companies. He also accuses the Government of having a hand in this by restricting welfare just to those in the middle class and by doing away with effective programs that serve the poor thus making it harder, if not impossible, for the poor to ever escape poverty.
Gans claims that politicians will fight over who will help the poor the most but claims most people see the poor as immoral criminals and deem them as the "undeserving poor", people who don't deserve to escape poverty. Gans does acknowledge that there are some unsavory characters moving within the undeserving poor but states that this is a group that inevitably stereotypes the lot of them. Gans also explores the stereotype that homeless/poor people are simply lazy and that's why they are in the situation they're in. Gans asks why Americans accept things that are untrue and then refuse to acknowledge the truth when it's made available to them.
In the article “The War Against the Poor Instead of Programs to End Poverty,” Herbert J. Gans sets forth the argument that improper perception has led to misdirected action and disastrous consequences for the nation.
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a.Media and gov’t perpetuation of “us v. them” mentality (hard workers v. lazy poor, white v. other (most notably black and Hispanic), law abiding citizens v. underclass/undeserving)
b. diminishing gov’t allocation of resourcing for those affected most by poor economy/”job creators” viewing employees as expendable resources (p. 458) c. argument – The widening gap between those in poverty and the middle class, the perception of those in poverty as undeserving due to their economic label and the limiting effects of policy and perception on social mobility will continue to lead to a state of mistrust, discrimination and substandard living conditions for those in poverty. (perhaps add information on the down economy leading to the ‘new poor’ (p. 461, point #4) and how they aren’t as bad as the regular poor)
Gans argues that:
1.Historical xenophobia
2.Poor as ne’er-do-wells who don’t follow the rules of society
3.Unmarried mothers = reasons to control women (p.459. pp.2) (insinuation?)
4.Society trying to control them; rebellion only means of self-control
A.P. 459 – people trying to instill moral value while not behaving themselves
B.P 461 – violence against society as “form of power”
5. Limiting of jobs available for welfare to work programs, poor job prospects, etc etc
Ganz reasons the US has stumbled in the area of poverty reduction. He gives us historical examples of not trusting immigrants, whoever the new class of immigrants may be. At one time it was the Irish and the Hebrews, but now is perceived to be black and Hispanic people. He says that it is the fear of the other, the dichotomous effect of “us vs. them,” the enemy, which gives the upper classes cause to look down upon these people.
However, while trying to link racism with class bigotry, he fails to place the current melting pot in any historical context. He believes that the majority sees themselves apart from these people. That racist stereotypes led to poverty without the input of the historical context loses the argument. It can be said that there was great hope, for example, among the black community during the middle of the 20th century with the work of Dr. King and others. His loss was felt across racial lines. It was neither the beginning nor the end for areas of the black community to hold a mistrust of the majority of society. It would morph in its own right to activism that would eventually lose leadership and turn into inner-city gangs and violence. What Ganz passively states as “ghetto cool” is potentially a life and death situation. The streets of New York City look much easier to navigate from the halls of Columbia University, to be sure.
With reinforcement or a new configuration, Ganz should liken the struggle to end poverty to the struggle to attain equal rights for blacks, for women, for gays, etc. Such an argument augments his points and breathes new life into them, bringing in the viewpoints of likeminded individuals to a cause which they might otherwise abstain from. It is a major selling point that he must play more upon. The people of the United States feel for those in poverty, and were it a struggle for equality and freedom, in much the same way were the Civil and Revolutionary wars, respectively, then Ganz is more likely to have more followers.
Works Cited:
Gans,Herbert J. “The War Against the Poor Instead of Programs to End Poverty.” The War Against the Poor Instead of Programs to End Poverty (1992): 461-65.
Rpt. in Writing in the Disciplines: A Reader and Rhetoric for Academic Writers, 7th ed. Ed. Mary Lynch Kennedy and William J. Kennedy. Boston: Pearson 2009. 457-63. Print.
1. Jessica Bergren
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In the article "The War Against the Poor Instead of Programs to End Poverty" by Herbert J. Gans, Gans states that the quality of life in America will severely diminish among all classes of people if we do not acknowledge the causes of poverty and wholeheartedly attempt to fix them. Gans states that there are many causes for the state of Americas poor. He begins by outlining the shortage of jobs by turning "unskilled and semiskilled" workers into surplus labor by outsourcing most of those jobs overseas by private companies. He also accuses the Government of having a hand in this by restricting welfare just to those in the middle class and by doing away with effective programs that serve the poor thus making it harder, if not impossible, for the poor to ever escape poverty.
Gans claims that politicians will fight over who will help the poor the most but claims most people see the poor as immoral criminals and deem them as the "undeserving poor", people who don't deserve to escape poverty. Gans does acknowledge that there are some unsavory characters moving within the undeserving poor but states that this is a group that inevitably stereotypes the lot of them. Gans also explores the stereotype that homeless/poor people are simply lazy and that's why they are in the situation they're in. Gans asks why Americans accept things that are untrue and then refuse to acknowledge the truth when it's made available to them.
In the article “The War Against the Poor Instead of Programs to End Poverty,” Herbert J. Gans sets forth the argument that improper perception has led to misdirected action and disastrous consequences for the nation.
I
- a. Media and gov’t perpetuation of “us v. them” mentality (hard workers v. lazy poor, white v. other (most notably black and Hispanic), law abiding citizens v. underclass/undeserving)
b. diminishing gov’t allocation of resourcing for those affected most by poor economy/”job creators” viewing employees as expendable resources (p. 458)c. argument – The widening gap between those in poverty and the middle class, the perception of those in poverty as undeserving due to their economic label and the limiting effects of policy and perception on social mobility will continue to lead to a state of mistrust, discrimination and substandard living conditions for those in poverty. (perhaps add information on the down economy leading to the ‘new poor’ (p. 461, point #4) and how they aren’t as bad as the regular poor)
Gans argues that:
Ganz reasons the US has stumbled in the area of poverty reduction. He gives us historical examples of not trusting immigrants, whoever the new class of immigrants may be. At one time it was the Irish and the Hebrews, but now is perceived to be black and Hispanic people. He says that it is the fear of the other, the dichotomous effect of “us vs. them,” the enemy, which gives the upper classes cause to look down upon these people.
However, while trying to link racism with class bigotry, he fails to place the current melting pot in any historical context. He believes that the majority sees themselves apart from these people. That racist stereotypes led to poverty without the input of the historical context loses the argument. It can be said that there was great hope, for example, among the black community during the middle of the 20th century with the work of Dr. King and others. His loss was felt across racial lines. It was neither the beginning nor the end for areas of the black community to hold a mistrust of the majority of society. It would morph in its own right to activism that would eventually lose leadership and turn into inner-city gangs and violence. What Ganz passively states as “ghetto cool” is potentially a life and death situation. The streets of New York City look much easier to navigate from the halls of Columbia University, to be sure.
With reinforcement or a new configuration, Ganz should liken the struggle to end poverty to the struggle to attain equal rights for blacks, for women, for gays, etc. Such an argument augments his points and breathes new life into them, bringing in the viewpoints of likeminded individuals to a cause which they might otherwise abstain from. It is a major selling point that he must play more upon. The people of the United States feel for those in poverty, and were it a struggle for equality and freedom, in much the same way were the Civil and Revolutionary wars, respectively, then Ganz is more likely to have more followers.
Works Cited:
Gans,Herbert J. “The War Against the Poor Instead of Programs to End Poverty.” The War Against the Poor Instead of Programs to End Poverty (1992): 461-65.
Rpt. in Writing in the Disciplines: A Reader and Rhetoric for Academic Writers, 7th ed. Ed. Mary Lynch Kennedy and William J. Kennedy. Boston: Pearson 2009. 457-63. Print.